


A Few Good Points

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood Friendship, F/M, Fencing, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24055855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Clary didn't imagine the first time she'd meet her boyfriend's brother would be standing across from him with a sword in her hand.
Relationships: Clary Fray & Alec Lightwood, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland
Comments: 24
Kudos: 131
Collections: SHBingo





	A Few Good Points

**Author's Note:**

> For my Shadowhunters Bingo square: Sports AU

“I’m not going to go easy on you just because you’re dating my brother,” are the first words that Alec Lightwood ever says to her.

Clary stares up at him, willing her mouth to not drop open, and gulps.

“Quit scaring her,” Jace says, elbowing Alec in the side. “How about, ‘Hey Clary, nice to meet you. Jace has told me so much about you’.”

Alec rolls his eyes. “This is a training evaluation, not family dinner,” he points out. “But I’ll make you a deal. For every point you get against me in the next twenty minutes, I’ll tell you an embarrassing childhood story about Jace. You get more than 2, I’ll throw in a photo.”

Clary doesn’t know if she should be glad he doesn’t seem to completely hate her at first sight, or upset that he doesn’t even think she’s going to get 2 hits in 20 minutes worth of evaluation. Then again, already fully dressed in his back-zip jacket, white pants, and plastron, he makes an imposing figure to stand across from.

“Deal,” she says with far more confidence than she feels as she goes to change into her own gear.

Clary met Jace when she took fencing as a physical education elective in college, just for the randomness of it all. Jace was one of the TAs since he played for the school’s fencing club. So, naturally, when the two of them seemed to hit things off during classes Clary decided to take a much more invested interest in fencing… enough to actually get half-decent at it in her attempts to spent more time with Jace under the guise of trying to join the club herself one day. It gave her plenty of excuses for some extra one-on-one time that had the end result she hoped for, and she and Jace have been dating for about two months now.

She didn’t count on actually loving the sport as much as she does, still wanting to join the club when all is said and done.

What she _also_ didn’t count on was for Jace’s very intimidating older brother to be the _Captain_ of Idris University’s fencing team.

Jace warned her that Alec can be a little abrasive at first but promised her it’s all for show and he’s actually very caring. She isn’t sure she believes him.

She feels the need to win Alec over just the same. What she has with Jace… it’s new, but she can already feel that it’s special. It’s different from any other relationship she’s had and she wants this to go well.

But first, she has to focus.

The good thing is that Alec is about the same height as Jace, which means she’s working with a height difference she’s used to. It isn’t much of an advantage against someone as skilled as Alec but it’s better than nothing, doing her best to remember the tips Jace gave her every time she went up against him. _Attack in counter time. Build your stamina. Improve your speed_.

They salute and begin. Clary takes a deep breath to calm herself, hanging back. _Allow the taller opponent to close the distance_. Of course, Alec knows exactly what she’s doing, and isn’t about to let her do it easily. He knows she’ll waste much more energy than he would to close the gap between them and he tricks her into it time and time again, leaving himself open just long enough for her to think she can sneak in a hit, only for him to block her time and time again as well.

She can barely make out his face through the black mesh of the mask but she knows he’s smirking. In fact, she’s pretty sure she hears him laugh once or twice. Or maybe that’s just one of the onlookers watching her barely hold her own against him. Once she’s brave enough to get _close_ she uses the infighting to her advantage, staying close enough that her shorter arms get her one point (to Alec’s 6, but she’s trying not to think about that) while she’s too close for Alec’s longer arms to get a hit on her with the tip of his sword.

Of course, the crowding technique doesn’t last forever. The distance Alec can cover with a lunge is impressive, and he keeps Clary from getting that close again for the remainder of their time. She gets one lucky hit in while Jace screams something from the sides and Alec glances over at him, momentarily distracted, which brings her up to 2 (to Alec’s 11 now, which she’s still trying not to think about) with just a minute left. Remembering the bet she made with Alec before they started, Clary moves fast in that last minute, getting in one last hit that feels way, _way_ too easy.

“You let me get that point,” she accuses with narrowed eyes as they both remove their helmets and meet in the middle to shake hands.

“Maybe,” Alec admits with a shrug. “But it was for my own benefit. I have some _great_ embarrassing photos to share. It’d be a shame if you didn’t get to see them”

Clary laughs. “Next time I’m earning that 3rd hit fair and square,” she insists.

“With a little more work? I think you can get more than 3 points next time. You’re really good for a beginner,” Alec says.

“Really?” Clary asks, surprised. “You’re not just saying that to be nice?”

“Really,” Alec promises, and Clary beams.

“Why do you believe him when he says it, but not me?” Comes Jace’s voice from behind her, just before he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her into him, both of them swaying slightly on the spot from the sudden shift.

“Because you _do_ have to say that to be nice,” Clary reminds Jace, turning her head to place a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “But something tells me if I was actually awful Alec would just say so.”

“She’s a quick one,” Alec says with a slight smirk, still guarded, but friendlier now. “You might not be half-bad, Fray. I hope you stick around.”

Clary’s surprised how relieved she feels at those words even if they’re far from a ringing endorsement. It’s a start.

And later, at dinner, after a few drinks and _many_ more than the 3 promised embarrassing stories and incriminating photos of Jace from Alec (and vice versa), she can tell that Alec meant what he said earlier.

“Hey,” Alec says during a few moments where Jace isn’t in the room. His voice is too loud to be a whisper even though by the way he cups his hand around his mouth it’s clear that’s his intention. “I really hope you two last, because this is the happiest I’ve seen Jace in a while. I think you might _actually_ be good for him, and I don’t immediately hate you. Which is good, because I’ve immediately hated everyone else he’s ever dated. But don’t tell him I said that.”

Clary can tell he’s only admitting this because of the alcohol but that he’s sincere just the same, and she gives Alec a soft smile in return.

“Don’t tell him I said this, but I hope you’re right because Jace is good for me, too,” Clary loud-whispers back conspiratorially. “And I don’t totally hate you, either,” Clary adds with a wink, just as Jace comes back into the room.

“I leave for _two seconds_ and you’re already teaming up against me,” Jace laments, dropping dramatically back onto the sofa. “What did Alec say about me now?”

Alec straightens up and places a finger over his lips while looking at Clary, who mimes zippering her own lips shut.

“Ridiculous. I knew I never should’ve let you two meet,” Jace huffs, but leans over to kiss Clary’s ‘zipped shut’ mouth anyway, and all three of them are laughing over it a moment later.

Clary meant what she said to Alec - she really, really hopes this lasts, because she’s already starting to feel like she might have a place here and she doesn’t plan on going anywhere any time soon.

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
